Play the Birthday Trumpet Fanfare!

Today is a special day; it’s the birthday of an exceptional musician, teacher and human being – my dad, William Johnson Riggs.

My dad was born in Thief River Falls, where his dad Ronald was working as a band director and teacher.  The family soon moved to St. Cloud, and that’s where Dad grew up. 

It’s not surprising that music has always been an important part of Dad’s life; his dad was a band director for several years before he became a college professor; his mom, Eleanor, and his paternal grandmother, Islea, both played and taught piano; and his paternal grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs, was a well known bandmaster who died when Dad was 7.

Ronald with baby William and G. Oliver

My dad was a little boy when G. Oliver gave him a cornet lesson outside the woodshed at the Riggs family cabin on Grace Lake – a moment captured in the photo at the top of this blog.  Something about the instrument must have resonated with my dad because he followed in G. Oliver’s footsteps and played the cornet for several years before switching to trumpet.

Dad with his sister, Dana, and brother, Bob

Dad grew up near Barden Park, where G. Oliver’s bands played summer concerts, and where the St. Cloud Municipal Band still plays.  He graduated from St. Cloud Technical High School and got a teaching degree from St. Cloud State University.

Dad's first teaching job was in Alexandria, Minn.  He only planned to stay a year or two.  He met my mom during his second year of teaching (which was her first year there), and the rest is history, as they say. 

I love this photo of my dad, my brother Pete, and baby me, sleeping on my dad’s chest.

My dad continued to play his trumpet in a number of bands, including the Alexandria Big Band, as I was growing up.  His love of performing inspired me to take up the French horn in sixth grade and continue playing through two years of college.

Dad and me playing a duet on Christmas Eve, 2008.

Dad retired from teaching high school several years ago, but he seems to keep busier than ever with his music gigs.  He used to play often for weddings; now, funerals are more common.  He plays regularly for church services and at nursing homes, and he plays with so many different groups I have a hard time keeping them all straight.

Dad playing a September 2011 gig with the Salty Dogs at Sixth Avenue Wine & Ale in Alex.

When he’s not performing in a concert of his own, he’s often in the audience cheering on his grandchildren.  Much to his delight, the latest family members to take up the trumpet are my brother’s 11-year-old twins, Sam and Lauren.

Mom and Dad with all seven grandchildren.

Dad is the heart of the ongoing G. Oliver Riggs research project, and I’m thrilled to be his duet partner.  We already have accomplished more than we’d ever expected, and I look forward to another year of adventures in 2012.

Because I can’t deliver his present over the blog, I will close with an Ole and Lena joke:

Ole bought Lena a piano for her birthday. A few weeks later, Lars inquired how she was doing with it.
“Oh,” said Ole, “I persuaded her to switch to a clarinet.”
“How come?” asked Lars.
“Well,” Ole answered, “because with a clarinet, she can’t sing.”

Happy birthday, Dad!